The present invention relates to hobs, milling cutters and the like. More particularly, the invention relates to gear cutting tools which have inserted blades.
Inserted-blade tools are well known in the art. Such tools have many obvious advantages over solid cutters: (a) only the blades need be replaced when they become worn, rather than the entire tool; (b) the body portion can be made of relatively inexpensive material; (c) the replaceability of the blades permits the utilization of blades having different properties or characteristics thus enhancing the range of applications of the cutter; (d) the cutter may be more easily made by machining the individual blades rather than machining the blades in the necessarily cramped confines of the cutter body; and, (e) the user may repair or renovate the tool on site without the need to ship it to the manufacturer.
Though many attempts have been made to make full use of these advantages of the inserted-blade design, previous attempts have, for one reason or another, failed. Those designs using screws or wedges to hold the blades in place are complicated and hence, costly to manufacture, thus, negating the economic advantages of the design. In addition, renovation of the cutter becomes difficult and time consuming. In the replaceable-blade cutters using either an adhesive or a tight press fit to retain the blades in the body portion, the blades are replaceable in name only, since removal of the blades generally results in gouging, cracking, or otherwise damaging the body portion. Again, renovation, if it can be done at all, becomes laborious and time consuming.